"Another round?" The bartender eyed the money pouch half hidden behind the man's expensive coat.
That coat belonged to a lean stranger adorned in dark robes that covered him in black from head to toe. Leather pants, a vest, a black silk shirt lay underneath, hidden to all. An expensive scarf choked his neck. The only twinge of color to the man was his hair. It was unusual in its color and perfection. It bounced when he moved and never left its place. The silver gleam that emanated from his head made him seem angelic… or demonic, depending on perception.
"Yeah… and keep it coming." Raising his eyebrows, the stranger nodded, a tuft of silver hair fell over his deep crimson eyes on the way down.
The pouch found its way to the table and soon the tender was sifting through hundreds of tiny emeralds, taking a generous portion for his costs and what he considered a 'decent' tip. The pouch was black velvet and had a tiny leather drawstring that held the cloth together. It was woven throughout in crisscrosses that went through the material. It was quite expensive looking; however, this was due to the craftsmanship.
The stranger lifted more brew to his slanted lips and he downed his sorrows in the tangy liquids. It wasn't until after a few more sips that the tender tried to make conversation once more.
"Where ya from?" He asked the silver haired man.
"Around."
"You been here long?"
"No."
"Business or pleasure?"
No reply.
Seeing the futility, the tender smirked and let the strange be. The stale conversation had opened his eyes to the other "friendlier" customers that came in around this time. His eyes came upon Richter, a young empath that lived in town. He had arrived years ago from across the ocean. He was quite popular in his travels and had many stories. He had on exotic foreign clothing. It was frilly and laced with colorful tints of yellows and oranges. The outfit resembled that of a feather of the speckled trill bird. It was a delicacy served in Richter's homeland. It was always a pleasure to serve Richter too. He always ordered the same drink: the popular flavor of the month.
The tender grabbed a glass and received a smile on his way over to Richter. "What'll it be my friend?"
"Bob, get me whatever's popular."
Bob nodded.
Richter had noticed the stranger long ago. He had felt the ripples of negative energy since he had come in. Even now, observing his manners, he seemed out of place, here in this bar, at this hour, dressed as a common criminal.
Thinking a moment, Richter cleaned the corner of his nail with his thumb. This was a common bad habit in his family. When in deep thought it was either picking their nails or staring at the patterns of the floor or walls. Upon making a decision, he snapped his fingers and decided to go over to the stranger.
He wasn't greeted favorably. Rather than the normal smile and 'How do?' he is used to, Richter received a rather smug 'What?' from the silver haired man.
Richter chuckled. "No, nothing," he said cleaning a seat beside him with his handkerchief. "I just didn't expect to see a highborn of this island to be here at this hour."
The stranger shifted his eyes away from Richter. The frilly dressed man continued.
"You don't know me if that's what you're thinking. However, I know of the powerful history of your friends."
"They're no friends of mine. I have none"
Richter chortled. "Surely you jest Master Lee. I find it humorous that now, knowing your background as a Bakos that you choose to turn on some."
"Get away from me."
"You come in here every night. Surely you must know your high status can't cloak you from the public eye. We know you're brokenhearted, Lee. I don't need to be empathic to see that."
"Go away." Lee raised his voice and his eyes gave off a red tint.
"Cruel world, isn't it Lee? But, I am not your enemy. And neither was Suzuka."
The incubus grabbed for his neck, but he skillfully backed away. A pistol was tucked away in the man's sleeve, but as Lee moved, he found it move to his temple.
"I find it odd that you lash out. Was it supposed to be a secret, incubus? You raped and killed the sister of an officer of the Crimson Guard. Do you think Elena wants someone who feasts on young maidens like a boy just discovering his manhood? Do you think she deserves an emerald obsessed joke like yourself?"
"You sure know a lot for an empath." Lee said as a try at a comeback.
"It's a wonder they still let you around them… around her… the small one with the innocent look and her mother's beautiful blonde hair."
"Stop."
"Stop what? There's a killer inside you. I'm just exposing it. I'm just being truthful."
The man backed away into swirls of black that filled the room. The bar vanished and Lee was stuck in the dark, forced to look at Richter, forced to hear Richter's words which were his own thoughts that were poisoning him day and night.
"Luciano." The name was from long ago, a time he did not know. Lee just wished it would vanish along with that girl, the one who actually sought out her brother Suzaku, rather than despised him.
Richter had now vanished. Now Lee stood face to face with the ice cold stare he had learned to hate. An ice dagger flew toward his head and Lee moved to avoid it. The fantastic athleticism of the man allowed him to flip toward Lee and in mid flip propel another dagger, and then continue to flip successfully and propel daggers in the same fashion. He knew that move. He knew that that was a move by a gypsy. A demonslayer known as Ragnar!
Lee sidestepped the assault, but Ragnar kept coming. The daggers landed on the ground and froze in large patches of ice. Soon the entire room was no longer black but frozen with ice. Lee couldn't move from the cold. It wasn't long before he slowed his steps and Luciano hit his feet to freeze him in place.
Luciano's smirk made Lee's stomach turn. Soon… he would…
A dagger formed in Luciano's hand as he spoke. "The pain of my family, my past, does not concern you. You dare to try to understand what I went through. You're not even worth calling-" The dagger sliced at Lee's neck.
As the blood flew from his carotid artery, Lee could only mumble one word…
"…brother."
